Girl speaking Spanish injects levity at HISD meeting

HOUSTON, Texas - With tension high over what what positions and programs would be eliminated, the Houston ISD board of trustees meeting had a bit of levity in the form of a girl named Sophia.

During public comment for Thursday's meeting, Sophia addressed the board in Spanish, reading off of a sheet of prepared remarks.

But, at the end of her comments, Sophia told the board, "I can do it in English if you would like."

The quip prompted light-hearted laughs in the meeting.

At the heart of Sophia's comments was the benefits of the district's foreign language immersion programs. She cited Houston's melting pot of foreign languages as a reason to keep programs afloat amid proposals for cuts.

Sophia told the board she has learned Spanish as a second language for two years in HISD.

Her comments came before Houston ISD approved a "reduction in force" to help bridge its estimated $115 million budget gap. The board exempted bilingual education teachers from the cuts.